The Terrace Standard, Wednesday, November 28, 2001 - A5 SOFT LANDING: Logs lifted from the Deep C Creek Watershed are gently dropped by a Sikorski 61 ‘helicopter, Heli ilogging | took place in the watershed this fall. It's a more sensitive option ta remove blown-down timber that building roads. SARAH A. ZIMMERMAN PHOTO. HEY CALL it the Black Rocket and it’s an apt name for the helicopter used to log blown down trees near the Deep Creek watershed. The Sikorski 61 helicopter. flew over Terrace skies for over two weeks and it does indeed move like a rocket. In an average hour the pilots make 35 . to 38 turns from the logging site to the ‘loading area roughly 400 metres away. “The pilots are really good,” said log- ging supervisor Larry Munson of Alm- Wood Contracting. The Deep Creek Watershed suffered serious blow down during a storm two- years ago, In order for the fallen logs to be. re- moved quickly, efficiently and before their marketability dwindled, Alm-Wood Con- tracting of Terrace called in a company from Vancouver Island that specializes i in helicopter*logging. ' “Coulson Sky Crate of: Pott ‘nibétil has’ lots specially’ trained to’ remove logs’ ‘from areas that are difficult to access. The Deep Creek watershed, because of its location and environmental sensitivities was the ideal spot for this type of logging. “The helicopter is used to minimize the im- pact on the forest,” explained Munson. “If .that was conventionally logged we'd have to build a road in there.” Building a road into the area not only dis- turbs the area but is an extremely expensive venture, Munson said, The first period of heli-logging began Oct. 1 and lasted seven days. Sixteen hectares of trees were logged at that time. The most recent period of logging began Oct, 21 logging roughly 15 hectares. Munson said it would take seven 10-hour flying days to complete. Under good weather conditions the pilots fly up to. 10 hours a day, but with Terrace’s notor- iously unpredictable weather that’s wasn't al- ways passible, The latest period of logging was scheduled to take seven days, but the rainy conditions la- tely limited the pilots’ ability to stay in the air. The pilots found flying during the last week and a half particularly troublesome because of ‘the fog that coliects at the watershed's high elevation. “Just that little bit of elevation creates so much fog.” Larry Munson said, “As soon as the chopper got in the air you couldn't see it." The helicopter burns 700 litces of jet fuel per hour. That means the pilots are in the air for one hour and 10 minutes before they touch down to refuel. When they do refuel it takes less than 10 minutes and they take-to the air again. The helicopter has. a 200 foot line that ied 1- ABOVE: Crews and a helicopter work to ge- ther on logging in Deep Creek. At right are pilots Greg Nealy and Bob Mayden with the -Sikorskl 61. SARAH A. ZIMMERMAN PHOTOS, UD, Up © and _away utes fd bab ES: . “ Helicopter logging demonstrates a’ sensitive way to log inside the city’s watershed. A? “> ay A special report by Sarah A. Zimmerman RECENT HELI- LOGGING in ‘Deep Creek used a Sikarski 61 + helicopter, Local Alm- Wood Contracting brought in Coulson Sky Crane from Port Alberni for the job. hangs beneath it. Chokermen on the ground in the bush attach the choker to the line and the helicopter transports the heavy logs to the loading site. The helicopter in manned by two pilots. One controls the chopper and.the picking up and dropping off of logs while the other watches the gauges and keeps The pilot hovers over the loading area where the logs are dropped — surprisingly gently - to the ground where workers called chasers re- mave the chokers from the logs. Once the logs are dropped or see if.” “There’s never been heli-logging so close to Terrace that people can hear the choppers track of statistics, “We keep tremendous statis- ‘lics on the time it takes to get the wood,” explained pilot Greg Nealy. That’s so they can maximize the amount of trees hauled out in a short amount of time. the helicopter heads back to the logging area to pickup another lag or two. Each pass takes roughly one and a half minutes — an incredibly efficient method of re- moving the blown down logs from the logging site near the creek. Though heli-logging is frequ- ently used in remote, hard-to-access areas, those regions tend to: be deep in the bush, “There's never been heli-lagging so close to Terrace thal people can hear the choppers or sec it,” Munson said, CORRESPONDENCE FOR THE TERRACE STANDARD The Mail Bag A true son of the land Dear Sir: Mr. Cyril Shelford, who passed away Nov. 8, and I crossed paths many times during the time that our public service overlapped. Although we were in different parties and in fact came from the extreme ends of the old Skeena riding, I from Prince Rupert and he from Omenica, we always shared our love of “our” north. When we met, we were always happy to visit and discuss all the many concerns that are never far from the surface of any northern B. C: conversation. Cyril Shelford was a true son of the land that he represented. He knew every quirk and corner, and ail the people who made up the community that he Shared. When times were difficult he was never reluctant to go to the heart of the matter and speak personally with those involved on every side of a question, seeking solutions all could accept. Mr. Shelford was a gentleman and we will miss him. Modestly he would no doubt say as he did in his autobiography that the honour was his, io have represented a people and a region that were so close to his heart, and that he worked for, and respected throughout his long and fulfilled life. My sympathy is with his loving family at this time of loss. The Honourable Iona V. Campagnolo, CM, OBC, Lieutenant-Governor of British Columbia Never lost touch ' Dear Sir: I got to know Cyril Shelford quite well in the period 1953 to 1956 when we were both MLAs. He was a solid and down-to-earth human being. He never succumbed to the temptation of many in politics to believe that they were better than anyone else, } I believe he always felt truly honoured (at least he left me with that impression) to represent people and their fundamental needs and desires. He never lost touch with humanity. My heartfelt sorrow about his family's loss is sent to them with every wish for their wellbeing. I hope my ‘thoughts will be of some comfort. , , Frank Howard, Vancouver, B.C. TD did just fine, thank you: Dear Sir: : I can’t quite place, fram Kim Robertson’s letter to the editor, (“T.D. Bank says it’s getting a bad rap,” Nov. 7, 2001) where the factual errors occur. Yes, the T.D. bank is still owed $94 million, a lot of money to a multi billion dollar corporation. However, the letter failed to point out that T.D. has collected almost $3 million per month in interest payment from §.C.1 for several years. That is almost $36 million per-yeir.:.. - - md sae Compare those losses to a $250, 000 joss. to a small . contractor with a million dollars in assets. [t does not compare. The group of unsecured creditors was not asking for anything more than the orderly shut down of S.C.]. Pay the bills for August services and then foreclose. That is the deal T.D. made, according to my information. If my information is wrong, Kim should Say SO, Regarding the insinuation that the unpaid contractors directed their frustration toward local T.D ‘bank employees, I must point out that that was not the intent at all, I went as far as to have a meeting with the local manager and ask if we were causing . the local branch, its employees or the customers any problems. The protest was against the T.D. bank’s corporate headquarters in Toronto and not the local branch. We would have far preferred to have the heavy metal party outside the corporate office in Toronte but we couldn't afford to get there. Someone stole our money. Ken Houlden, For the unpaid 8.C.1 Contractors, , Terrace, B.C. Eye checks are vital Dear Sir: In light of the provincial government’s decision to de-insure regular eye examinations that were previously covered under the Medical Services Plan, the British Columbia Association of Optometrists (BCAQ) wants to make it very clear that despite comments to the contrary, periodic eye examinations are crucial to a person’ overall health. There is nothing routine about these examinations. Tn fact, regular eye examinations are crucial to a person’s overall health, and changes to MSP coverage should not be taken by B.C. residents as a signal to pass over their regular visit to the optometrist, A thorough eye exam is the anly way to detect eye diseases that do not present readily visible symptoms, such as glaucoma or retinal degeneration. Given these preventative health benefits, the fact that regular or periodic ocular health assessments are no longer covered by MSP is regrettable. Health care professionals, including BCAO and its 360 members, recognize that the health care system is under intense budgeting pressure, That said, our association has worked closely with the Ministry of Health Services to ensue that funding remains in place for children, seniors and people with medical or financial needs. The current shortfall in health care funding is a concern, We understand the need to do our part in finding solutions. We do not, however, want patients to take this recent decision as a signal to become less vigilant when it comes to the health of their eyes. John Genitles, President, British Columbia Association of Optometrists About the Mail Bag The Terrace Standard welcomes latters. Our address Is 3210 Clinton St., Terrace, B.C. V8G 5R2, You can fax us at 250-648-8492 or e-mail us at standard@keérmode.net, No attachments, please. We need your name, address and phone number for verification. Our deadline is noon Friday or naon Thursday if It’s a long Weekend.